- Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Ryan Michael Bate, now charged with killing two Utah police officers.
- Bate faces multiple charges, including capital murder and attempted aggravated murder.
- Funeral arrangements for the fallen officers will be announced as the investigation continues.
BRIGHAM CITY — The man accused of killing two Tremonton-Garland police officers has been charged with two counts of capital murder and other crimes, and prosecutors have already said they intend to seek the death penalty.
Ryan Michael Bate, 30, of Tremonton, was charged Wednesday evening with two counts of aggravated murder, a capital offense, for the ambush shooting deaths of Sgt. Lee Sorensen, 56, and officer Eric Estrada, 31.
Prosecutors have within 60 days of a person being arraigned to announce their intention of seeking the death penalty if convicted. The Box Elder County Attorney's Office filed its notice Wednesday in conjunction with their charges stating that Bate "has not yet been arraigned, so this notice is provided within the statutorily mandated time frame. ... Accordingly, this filing serves as notice to defendant and future defense counsel of the state's intentions to seek the death penalty in this case."
In addition to the two capital murder counts, Bate faces 18 other charges, including four counts of attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; endangering a police service dog, a third-degree felony; three counts of possessing an explosive, a second-degree felony; two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent, three counts of assault, unlawful detention and threatening violence, all class A misdemeanors, and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a class B misdemeanor.
On Sunday, Tremonton police responded to a 911 hangup call at the Bate residence. Bate's wife called emergency dispatchers and hung up in an attempt to get police to come to her home after Bate "slammed her head with a door, and grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall," charging documents state. "As the wife tried to calm (Bate) down, he repeatedly threatened to kill her."
But when the first officer arrived and spoke to the wife, she "assured there was no physical violence," according to the charges.
However, as the officer began to drive away, Bate took a "high powered rifle" and fired at the officer but missed, according to police.
"The officer parked his vehicle and called for backup. The officer then got out of his car and the wife ran down the street yelling that (her husband) had a gun. As officer No. 1 attempted to cross the street to help the wife, (Bate) fired another shot hitting and killing officer No. 1," the charges state.
When the second officer arrived at the scene, he attempted to help his colleague who was lying in the road. While assisting that officer, the second officer was also shot and killed, according to the charges.
Shortly after, Box Elder County sheriff's deputy Mike Allred and his police K-9, Azula, a 3-year-old female Belgian Malinois, arrived at the scene as backup.
"As the deputy arrived, (Bate) fired two more shots, barely missing the deputy, but causing him injuries. The bullets also struck the K-9 cage, causing injuries to the dog," the charges state. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Bate also shot at a neighbor's vehicle that he apparently mistook for an unmarked police patrol car, "barely missing the driver," according to the charges. He then "approached the two fallen officers with a revolver and a rifle in hand as he continued to look around for other targets."
Bystanders, however, convinced Bate to put down his weapons at that point, according to police.
After he was taken into custody, officers searched Bate's home and "located three Molotov cocktails."
Bate was also arrested and charged last year for another domestic violence incident at the same house. He was charged in 1st District Court with aggravated assault and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, but those charges were later dismissed, according to court records.
In addition to the capital murder case, the Box Elder County Attorney's Office refiled those previous charges on Wednesday. Bate is charged in that case with aggravated assault and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, third-degree felonies; and causing property damage, a class A misdemeanor.
Bate is being held in the Weber County Jail.
Funeral arrangements for the fallen officers are expected to be announced Thursday.
"We express our deepest condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy and wish to thank the Weber County CSI, Brigham City Police Department, and all other investigating agencies for their assistance in the investigation, which is ongoing," a statement from Box Elder County said.
